If you’re still on the fence about whether this subject can deliver on all levels, including providing the fun factor, interesting content and great career prospects for the future, then check out the list below for ten great reasons to study Biology.

1. You can make the most of hands-on learning

Biology is a fantastic choice for those who like to get involved in practical lessons, as they can benefit from some great hands-on learning.

Some examples of activities that you might be faced with in Biology class during secondary school and sixth form college are investigating carnivorous plants like how the fascinating Venus Fly Traps work, studying chromatography by revealing the colours inside green leaves and why they change in Autumn, and using a binocular microscope to study plant materials and measure cell size in stomata peels. Not to mention the numerous field trips you will get to go on!

No matter the experiment, a move away from the general classroom set up is bound to get you enthused about learning!

Practical lessons placed within real-life contexts can be motivational and fun, while also helping to extend your knowledge and understanding of the various topics.

Biology students can make the most of many practical experiments. Photo credit: umseas via Visual hunt

The biggest benefit of doing hands-on activities is that they can really help to make lessons memorable and thus mean that you remember more specific details in your exams that will help you get marks.

2. Learn latest research methods

Scientific subjects not only incorporate concepts learned from the past, they also focus on the future. Continually influenced by innovation, technology and evolution, subjects like Biology are consequently led by these driving factors and educational courses strive to keep young scientists up to date on all of the traditional and modern research methods and techniques available to them.

Biological techniques are the means and procedures by which scientists study living things, including computational and experimental methods, tools and protocols in the approach to biological research.

During your Biology lessons, you can benefit from learning about these approaches in detail, with the opportunity at times to carry out your own investigations using these advanced protocols.

Although your school or college may not be as hi-tech as a research laboratory, they will still have an equipped Science lab in which you can carry out experiments on a smaller scale.

3. You can use its principles to answer big questions

People often think about the sciences as being all facts and figures, yet it is these evidence-based subjects that help us to question all else in this world.

By understanding facts surrounding what is physically and anatomically possible, budding scientists can apply these principles again and again as they begin to question things that intrigue them: for example, if an ‘afterlife’ truly exists, whether the Big Bang Theory could ever be a reliable concept, or if the story of Adam and Eve could be biologically possible.

4. You can benefit from a clear career path

Naturally, Biology leads the way to a career in Medicine (along with other Science-based subjects) as well as jobs as a Teacher or Scientist. But while Biology is fundamental to those seeking a career in the teaching or healthcare sectors, it also offers numerous other routes.

There are various branches of Biology which can open up many alternative professional doors, including Ecology, Marine Biology, Zoology and many more. Some job options for Biology graduates are Microbiologist, Pharmacologist and Znature Conservation Officer.

Meanwhile, Biology can additionally be useful for those dreaming to work as a Dentist, Acupuncturist or even a Writer of science-related content. As you can see, a wide range of employers recruit those with qualifications in Biology.

Zoology is one of the branches of Biology and can lead to an exciting career with animals. Photo via Visual hunt

5. You can discover the basic living concepts

We all know how to stay alive, because it is instinctive to us. However, Biology explains in detail the basic events that keep all living organisms alive and thriving on our planet.

For example, it teaches us how to plant food that can later be consumed in order to maintain a healthy and nutritious diet, it clarifies why we must keep our bodies hydrated and it explains what humans need to maintain their physicality and sleep comfortably.

6. You can learn about the human body and how treat it

In addition to learning about how to stay alive in general, biologists can find out about other factors which change the cells in our bodies, like disease or illness, and how these can be treated.

During a Biology course, pupils will discover what our optimum body temperature is and how a high or low temperature affects it. They will also learn about more complex disorders affecting the body, causing sickness, disability and, in some cases, death.

Biology pupils will comprehend how drugs affect the human body, both for the good and the bad. Legal drugs (like tobacco) as well as illegal substances (drugs classed from A to C) will be examined as well as prescription drugs and antibiotics.

7. You can explore the food chain in an ecosystem

Biological interactions explain the effects that one organism has on another living thing. In the natural world, all organisms interact with the environment and eachother in order to survive.

Biology teaches about the interdependency between animal and plant species in particular, and the energy supply required to feed growth and cell division.

Lessons will help pupils to identify which species are producers and which are consumers, and lay out the interconnecting food chains in an ecosystem.

8. You can better understand the environment

By learning about how vegetation and other plant life thrive, you can learn how to take care of the environment around you. For instance, GCSE pupils will begin to learn about farm crops and the fertilisers and pesticides they use to increase crop yields.

Biology teaches about the environment and the pesticides used by farmers on crops. Photo credit: cwwycoff1 via Visual hunt / CC BY

Meanwhile, young scientists will also be made aware of how temperature, carbon dioxide levels and light affect photosynthesis. Many fascinating practical lessons emerge from the study of this topic, so you can look forward to getting stuck into your biological control classes!

9. You will receive accreditation

Those who study with a biology teacher to a high level, for instance to degree-level, will receive accreditation for their qualifications and expertise. Science graduates are awarded with a B.Sc., or Bachelor of Science, which can then lead to a M.Sc., or Master of Science for post-graduates.

The main benefit of being accredited for your Biology knowledge is that it will make you more employable within related business spheres. A qualification from a good university will indicate that you have a good understanding of the critical fields of this Science.

In addition, accreditation is proof of your advanced expertise within certain topics. For example, it can be used to display your specialism in one of the distinct branches of Biology, such as Ecology or Zoology.

10. It is important to society

Much of what we know about our race, animals and plants has come from scientific research. As such, scientists are very important to our society.

Biology is particularly useful to the human society because it teaches us how life is created, how it works and how it responds to external factors like the environment, thus explaining how to prolong our lives.

Biology also affects the discovery of medicines and how quickly these are put into production for healthcare systems.

Biological research needs fresh, talented biologists to continue to drive this research forward and help in the development of cures for terminal illnesses like cancer, as an example.

GCSE & A Level Biology Revision

Referred to as the ‘science of life’, Biology is an exciting, practical science that explores all living things, including humans, animals and plants.

Biology allows you to gain an in-depth understanding of all living organisms on our planet, i.e. how they function as well as how they rely on one another to survive.

From Year 7 through to your scientific university degree, Biology offers you so much in terms of knowledge, skills, activities, excursions, and possibly even accreditation. With this many opportunities on offer, both academically and professionally, you must ensure that you take your Biology lessons seriously, even if you don’t see yourself pursuing the subject during your higher education.

See how you can benefit from a biology a level tutor by clicking here.

Being given the chance to learn about how your body works and how to nurture the environment all around us is such a fantastic opportunity, as it enables us to grasp concepts that are intertwined with our everyday lives.

Just because you do not want to study biological anatomy in the future doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at least show an interest in how your body fights off germs, how chromosomes dictate how we look and how the male and female reproductive systems work, for example.

Moreover, examining animal and plant matters can be very useful in understanding seemingly ordinary things like how their input in our diet, nutrition and health, which are extremely important to daily life.